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Our adventuring family has researched over 20 of the best kids' climbing harnesses before selecting 9 to test side-by-side. We look at the best options on the market including full body and sit options. We did the hard work, adventuring across the USA, tackling all the fun, kid-friendly crags. Our child testing team involves kids aged 3 and up. We climbed, hung around, suspended them from tree branches, and tried out all the nifty features each have to offer. After fun hours in the sun, we provide the best recommendations to help you find a harness that's perfect for your kid's size and ambition, without breaking the bank.
The Petzl Ouistiti stands out for its excellent performance. It's the perfect harness to help kids transition towards a sit harness due to its sit harness style waist belt and lower positioned tie-in point. Because of that, lowering will feel a little more like the way a sit harness feels. Padded panels all around help to give a comfortable, yet supportive fit for both hanging and off the wall, and fully functional gear loops (x2) provide a place to clip gear, whether it's a belay device, rack of draws, or Jack, the stuffed dog. We also found this to be one of the most secure harnesses tested. The double-backed buckles are located on the upper back of the child making sure idle, fiddly hands don't mess with them.
This harness is one of the higher-tech full-body harnesses available, but due to the limitations in its size range, it is mainly used for young kids. Slightly older kids who may be top-heavy and benefit from a full-body harness may not fit and will need to choose a different option. Limited size range aside, the Ouistiti harness does a great job of keeping little kids safe and comfortable for a good day on the wall.
It's hard to beat the price of the Trango Junior. It's one of the most affordable full-body options in our test fleet and also offers a lot of security and comfort for young climbers. This basic harness has fully adjustable shoulder straps and leg loops that allow it to fit kids of all sizes from 25 lbs up to 8o lbs. Once the harness is set up, kids can easily get in and out, and the buckles offer quite a bit of adjustment range to accommodate growing climbers or a wide range of kids.
The Trango Junior is the only harness in our test that still uses the old “double back” style non-sliding buckles. With 20+ years of sliding buckle use behind us, this shows how dated the Junior is. While the design is old-school, the function is great, and comfort is decent. We would recommend this harness to the casual climber not looking for the highest-end gear, but rather one looking for a basic functional harness. This isn't our go-to choice for older kids, but for new young climbers, a camp fleet, or gym rentals, this harness works really well — and for a great price.
The Petzl Macchu is the most well-rounded harness in the test group. No other option works so well for such a wide range of users. It's great for super little kid first-timers (if used in conjunction with the Petzl Body chest harness), but it's also perfect for intermediate climbers and experts alike. There are two large gear loops that stay centered on the hips thanks to dual waist belt buckles. These gear loops can hold up to ten carabiners each and stand off the hips well, allowing kids to lead long sport routes or follow all but the longest, most gear-intensive trad pitches.
If your kid tends to spend less time on the wall and more time playing tag in the nearby woods with other crag kids, the Macchu's soft, flexible waist belt and leg loops facilitate comfort during those activities, too. Since Petzl uses the same materials and construction methods as with their adult harnesses, it ends up having a techier, finished appearance and feel than some youth harnesses. Regardless of skill level or age, you can't go wrong by including this harness on your shortlist.
A good set of gear loops is important for easily accessing or stashing gear on the go.
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Our oldest kid tester going for the thin crux.
Why Trust GearLab
We started by looking at what kids' harnesses were currently on the market, compiling a group of more than 20 models. We then narrowed this selection to the strongest 9 contenders from this group to test side-by-side. Once these kids' harnesses were purchased and in hand, our lead reviewer Adam and his family proceeded to take them on an extended climbing trip throughout the south and southwest with a considerable amount of time in Joshua Tree, CA. The harnesses were rated on a handful of traits that are considered essential. These include comfort while standing or hanging and also versatility and usefulness of features. We're sure you will find this study to be a useful resource to utilize while readying your little ones for the gym or crag.
Our testing of kids' climbing harnesses is divided across four different metrics:
Hanging Comfort (40% of overall score weighting)
Standing Comfort and Mobility (20% weighting)
Features (20% weighting)
Versatility (20% weighting)
Who would be the best reviewer of kids' harnesses? Naturally, that person should have kids and have family friends with kids; second, family climbing should be a central part of their lifestyle; and third, they should be familiar with gear in general. This review's author, Adam Paashaus, checks all the boxes. He travels around the country and climbs full-time with his wife and two girls (ages seven and nine) from their bus-converted-to-house, Skoolie. Earlier on, Adam worked in the outdoor industry for some time and in several capacities, so he's well-versed when it comes to gear--he even makes some of his own. He caught the bug for long periods spent in wild places via long-distance backpacking and gained his first exposure to rock climbing in Yosemite almost twenty years ago. Until recently, he held an AMGA Single Pitch Instructor certification AMGA SPI, and for years worked for a national outdoor school.
Analysis and Test Results
Our kids' harness review focuses on full body and sit style harnesses designed for kids ages three and up. In addition to full-scale hands-on testing, we aim to create an objective rating scale that scores each product across a range of important performance metrics. For this review, we consider hanging comfort, mobility & standing comfort, features, and versatility. We discuss each product and how each performs across the metrics. Enjoy!
What's the Best Value?
Here at OutdoorGearLab, we try our best to give you a good idea of the value of a piece of gear. In this test, we break down how the harnesses compare to each other in this regard. The Trango Junior is a high-value full-body harness that's a great option for beginners and comes with an affordable price tag. We also like the Black Diamond Momentum and Edelrid Fin III, two sit-style harnesses that come at a lower price tag than higher performers but still do the job. Others that cost more, many times, will have more features or better comfort, and therefore will also carry a good value to the consumer, if you need the extra bells and whistles.
Hanging Comfort
The amount of hanging comfort a harness offers can make or break the experience of a new climber. Having a comfortable seat will keep a climber looking up at that hold that's just out of reach, before they go for another burn, whereas an uncomfortable harness can discourage a climber into calling down “lower me” before really giving it their best shot. We used each harness for extended hanging sessions and evaluated how each dispersed the weight to the hips and thighs.
A good harness is comfortable to hang in.
Credit: Akela.world
Some harnesses were comfortable enough for spending considerable time “working” hard routes, while other harnesses were too painful for more than a minute or two of hanging. Most have some form of padding around the waist belt and leg loops to help cushion and transfer the weight, but some of the full-body harnesses just use wide nylon webbing, which tends to be less comfortable. We want kids to find the most comfortable option available, so they can more fully enjoy what climbing offers, and regardless of the style of harness, we evaluate how well they perform when stacked up against the rest. Hanging comfort represents 40% of the total score.
Throughout our test we racked up hours of hang time.
Credit: Akela.world
Standing Comfort and Mobility
To a non-climber, watching climbing is worse than watching paint dry. Images of adrenaline junkies hucking themselves all over the wall just isn't real life. In reality, the climbing can be slow, and every climber spends more time not slowly climbing as they spend… slowly climbing. This metric is used to define how comfortable the different harnesses are for all the time that isn't spent hanging. Our testers put the eleven harnesses to the test by scrambling around the rocks at the base of the crag as well as sitting in the dirt working on schoolwork while mom put up the next top rope.
Relaxing in the sun between climbs.
Some harnesses were so comfortable that they were forgotten between climbs, while others felt cumbersome and obtrusive. We documented any issues we found. We paid close attention to whether any harnesses restricted movement while scrambling and climbing. If a harness has gear loops, we tested how well they carry a heavy load. Unsurprisingly, the ones with wider, more supportive hip belts offered more support for a heavier rack. But generally, the softer and most flexible harnesses were the most comfortable for normal wearing.
Waiting for her turn to climb, luckily her harness is comfortable even off the wall.
The Black Diamond Momentum is a super comfortable harness that does a great job of moving with active kids due to having a soft yet supportive padding.
Features
Not every kid needs a fully-featured harness with gear loops and high-tech molded panels. Some harnesses focus on more basic features like buckles that are easy to adjust to help kids get in and adjusted easily, or buckles that are purposefully located away from fiddly kid hands, and rightfully so.
Some harnesses allow kids to easily slip in and out of them, while others have buckles that don't slide very well, requiring an adult or a bit more time to adjust. Sit harnesses in our test all have similar features, and we broke down which harnesses do a better job of making their features usable. For instance, the gear loops on the Black Diamond Momentum don't sit square on the hips due to the waist belt only having one auto-locking buckle combined with a cut that doesn't center for most kids.
The dual adjust buckles help to keep the harness square on the hips, regardless of waist size.
Full-body harnesses offer a larger variety of features. Some basic models have super easy, quick adjustments for getting a secure fit. Others, like the Petzl Ouistiti, have secondary attachment points, gear loops, and foam padded body panels to add comfort. There is a harness for every style of kid climber out there.
the Finn III all racked up.
Maybe your three-year-old really enjoyed attending her classmate's birthday party at the climbing gym, and you want to encourage her new interest. The easily adjustable Petzl Simba might be more your kind of harness.
Versatility
To measure versatility, we used two different main criteria. First, how wide of a fit range does it have: a harness like the Petzl Simba that can expand to grow with a kid or fit every kid at camp will be naturally more versatile. A harness that isn't user-friendly scored lower. Second, as a child progresses, will this harness perform well as they advance as climbers and need a different set of features?
Again user-friendly characteristics are important. Are the gear loops accessible and easy to pull gear from? Do the buckles slide smooth enough for the climber to tighten them easily, or does it require extra fiddling or help from mom or dad?
Pulling through a roof in southern Utah.
Conclusion
Getting the right harness isn't about just choosing those that we highlight as our favorites, as we may overlook a need you have. It's important to take into account each metric and determine what your needs are. There is a perfect harness for just about every kid. We hope that our review gives the information needed to help you in purchasing a harness. Remember, the harnesses in our test are the most popular harnesses available, and no option in our test would be a poor choice if the features and comfort match the style of climbing the child will be doing. Lastly, don't forget to check out the best climbing gear out there. This list was hand curated just for you.
